Sadio Mane suffered a nasty head injury during Senegal’s 2-0 victory over Cape Verde in the Africa Cup of Nations last 16, but has told supporters “everything is fine.”
Just before the hour mark at the Stade Omnisports de Bafoussam, Mane surged onto a searching ball and found himself colliding with Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.
A clash of heads left Mane out cold, with the Liverpool forward falling to the turf unable to brace himself, but the decision was made to allow him to continue playing.
The 29-year-old scored a superb opener soon after, but it was clear that he should have been immediately brought off due to concussion protocols.
That was reinforced as, after being substituted in the 70th minute, Mane was then taken to hospital for tests, while his team-mates celebrated a 2-0 victory over nine-man Cape Verde.
In a post on his Instagram story on Tuesday evening, Mane shared a photo of himself alongside Vozinha at the hospital, relieving concerns over his health.
“Thank god everything is fine,” he wrote. “Thank you all for the messages.”
It is still a major issue that Mane was permitted to play on despite having been knocked out, regardless of his ability to continue and score minutes later.
Senegal are next in action on Sunday, against either Mali or Equatorial Guinea in the quarter-finals of the tournament in Cameroon.
While it remains to be seen whether Mane will be passed fit to start in that tie, it seems possible given the time between fixtures and his positive message after treatment.
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